Proselytism, Violence and Competing Religions (Christianity & Islam)

Submitted by Wana88 (United States), Jul 14, 2009 at 17:54

TruthWFree: Your offer of "salvation" was touching but must be very respectfully turned down as I don't want Jesus --or anyone else-- as my savior. This is getting too personal for my liking but your apparently sincere offer necessitated one last response. I wil never become a Christian and many Christians/Mormons have tried to "save"me. There is so much I respect, admire and love about your religion and have familial ties to it, but it is not for me. As strong believer in "live and let live," I want us (Christian & Muslim) to see each other as part of a larger brotherhood: we are all humans first.

I see Christianity and Islam 's ambitious agendas through history -that rely aggressively on proselytism-- as the source of unspeakable violence, cruelty, horror and inhumanity. The first monotheistic religion (Judaism) is the only one that hasn't sought conversions by any means (or at all) and whose people have paid a heavy price of perpetual persecution that should shame us. I was born into Islam and while non-practising, part one of the shahada (there is no G-D but G-D) appeals to the deist in me. The second component is where the questions emerge. It is easy to see why Muslims who come into contact w/the Unitarians/Muwahhidun/Wahhabists/Salafists come under their spell because, like Judaism, the Wahhabis emphasize the oneness of G-D and de-emphasize the importance of Muhd and other humans as somehow G-d like, thus their attempts to destroy Muhd's tomb; destruction of Ali, Khadija's tombs etc. But, that's how they try to hook Muslims into their intolerant cult with the simplicity, and appeal of ONE G-D.

The big "what if" is what if Judaism had been a religion that proselytized like the other two? I suspect a LOT of Muslims would jump ship and become Jewish! ! As I read history, the only monotheistic religion that has tried to adhere to the "live and let live" motto has been practiced by the Jews. They've just wanted to be left alone to practice their faith in peace but that only seems to have incensed the adherents of the other two faiths, yours and mine. Like our founding fathers, I'm a (Muslim) Deist who believes in one supreme being and in the importance of creating a society characterized by genuine religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In closing, religion should be a private, individual, matter and not be leveraged for malevolent ends.

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